I'll admit, before my trip to Shaker Village I knew very little about the Shakers - with the possible exception of their reputation for well-crafted furniture. I enjoyed learning more about this interesting group and I loved seeing the live craft demonstrations. My favorite stop was the weaving room where I saw women spinning wool into thread in the first room and in the second a woman using a loom to turn that tread into fabric - how glad I am these arts aren't being lost.
Woodworking - this artisan is retired and comes to Pleasant Hill in the summer
This broom maker is a retired postal worker
This woman was working on a weaving of her own design -
she moves 4 foot pedals, to bobbins and the bar to weave the fabric
Can you tell I'm experimenting with Photoshop?
In the Shaker community everyone worked for the benefit of the community. They rotated tasks so that no one felt their job was more important than any other. From the elders and eldresses (how cool is that word) everyone took their turn weaving, cooking and doing laundry (or for the men woodworking, gardening and caring for the animals) - they worked hard and believed that work was part of their worship.
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3 comments:
I love watching people work at crafts that have been around for ages! The working with their hands, creating something wonderful, the way it was supposed to be made...not in some big factory...it's all so gratifying!
the sepia tones suit these photos beautifully. i love weaving and watching people do it. the machine seems so complicated and i love the knocking noise it makes. wonderful place. enjoy your weekend!
If I still had internet access, my ipod and a bunch of other modern conveniences, I could totally be happy living like that. :-)
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